Water to Sky
by margerykempe
Summary: "What's it going to be: partial nudity or death by dehydration?"
1. Chapter 1

She locked herself in the bathroom of the gas station.

She needed a plan.

She needed to be away from the prying eyes on the street sizing her up. The way that men looked at her here made her feel dirty.

Why had she thought this would be a good idea?

She knew why. She was trying to escape her life—a life made up of responsibility and poverty and struggle and endless monotony. If her sister could find happiness here, then so could she.

Except when she got here, she found that Eun Seok had traded one life of poverty for another and added an abusive, drug-addicted boyfriend for good measure. She'd taken all the money that Eun Sang had saved and disappeared, leaving her alone in an apartment with no electricity or running water and a sizeable cockroach population.

Now she was stuck in a foreign country with no cash, no means of communication, and no way home.

Wasn't California supposed to be the land of palm trees and movie stars? Why was it that everywhere she turned, she saw nothing but filth and rundown buildings and desperate people selling themselves for a small measure of comfort.

Banging on the door of the bathroom startled her from her thoughts.

"Yes, yes," she said. It was one of the handful of English words she knew.

She couldn't stay here forever. But where could she go?

Her eyes traced the crack running along the base of the dirty sink to the door. She could see ants crawling out.

How she wished she could be one of those ants.

The absurdity of the situation struck her and she laughed without mirth. _"A few days ago, I would have rather died than live my life like that—now here I am."_

The banging on the door sounded again, louder this time, and she knew she would have to leave.

"Yes!" she screamed, frustration coloring her voice.

She opened the door to find a man waiting on the other side, arms crossed in annoyance. Eun Sang was surprised to find that he looked Korean. He gave her a dirty look and pushed past her to the bathroom, slamming the door closed.

"_Fuck you too," _she thought. It was then that she noticed the car parked just to the right of the building. It was a new, very expensive sports car—she'd seen them before on the streets of Seoul.

"_Is it his?" _Her mind raced. _"If he's Korean— Maybe—" _She walked over to the car, trying to appear as if she belonged with it. Glancing in, she saw a jacket in the back seat and a leather portfolio resting on the dash. A few papers were poking out and she could just make out the characters.

Zeus.

The name rang a bell. She remembered that there was a chain of hotels in Korea named Zeus. Maybe he worked for the company? He certainly seemed to fit the profile of a rich executive.

"What do you think you're doing?" The sound of Korean startled her—it felt like it had been weeks since she'd understood what was going on around her.

Whirling, she turned to find the man standing just feet away from her. His nearness felt threatening and Eun Sang resisted the urge to take a step back. Instinct told her that he wouldn't react well if she showed weakness.

"Are you Korean?" She tried to look harmless. "Can you help me? I was robbed and I have no way to get back to the airport."

"_And no airplane ticket back home,"_ she thought to herself.

One problem at a time.

"I don't have time for this." He pushed her out of the way and opened the door to the car and quickly entered.

"Sir! Please! Won't you help a fellow countrywoman?" She banged hard on the glass of the window, desperation making her brave. Eun Sang pounded so hard that she thought she might actually break the window.

The sound of the automatic window rolling down stopped her. She backed up slightly as he turned his face to her through the opening.

"If you damage this car, I will make you very sorry." His voice was completely neutral and the promise of the threat was plain in his eyes. "Now back away."

Eun Sang backed away slowly, not wanting to risk angering him further. The engine revved and he sped away.

She made a rude gesture at the back of his car.

The sun was high and hot overhead, and she had no choice now but to keep walking down the highway, trying to make her way back toward the airport.

The gas station attendant leered at her from his seat behind the counter as she made her way back out to the road.

* * *

><p>The waves of heat coming off the pavement made her dizzy.<p>

_One foot in front of the other._

_Small sip from the water bottle. It has to last. No money for more._

_Hold the umbrella up. You'll get sunstroke._

Eun Sang was nearly on top of the car by the time she realized it was there.

It was the asshole from the gas station and he looked miserable. It made her happy, just for a moment. Karma—it was a beautiful thing.

She moved to step around the car when his arm shot out and grabbed her. "Do you have a phone?" he demanded.

"Eat shit." She jerked her arm out of his grip and kept walking.

"I need a phone—mine's dead and the car's broken down. We're an hour from the gas station."

"I guess you better start walking. You might make it before nightfall."

"You want money? I have money."

Eun Sang hesitated for a moment before turning back. "Show me," she said suspiciously.

He pulled his wallet out from a suit jacket draped over the driver's seat of the car. He fanned out several hundred-dollar bills. Moving quickly, Eun Sang grabbed for a handful and then shoved them down the front of her shirt, stuffing them inside her bra. It wasn't the safest place, but if he meant her no harm, he wouldn't make a move to take them back—it was a gamble.

They stared each other down, each waiting for the other to make the first move.

"Okay," he said. "You've got your money. Now give me the phone."

"No."

"You want more?" he asked incredulously.

"No. I have conditions. First: _I_ will make the phone call because it is _my_ phone. Second: I get a ride to the nearest airport immediately after your car is towed. Third: you will help me buy plane tickets back to Seoul." She crossed her arms over her chest and waited.

"How do you know I won't just take the cell phone and make a run for it?"

"Because you're going to strip to your underwear and hand over your passport before I even think about pulling out the cell phone."

He looked at her in disbelief. "Why wouldn't I just knock you down and take your bag now?"

"Because you don't know the passcode to the phone." She smiled at him sweetly. "What's it going to be: partial nudity or death by dehydration? Or you can take your chances and hope that another car will stop for you? I wouldn't hold your breath."

His expression made it clear that he wasn't amused. "You must be joking."

"Does it look like I'm joking? Pants or death?" She snapped her fingers at him impatiently.

He charged toward her, getting in her face. She knew that he was trying to intimidate her, but at this point she had nothing to lose. "You're making a huge mistake right now," he warned.

She met his eyes, remaining as outwardly calm as possible. The silence stretched between them and Eun Sang could feel beads of sweat rolling down her back.

After what felt like hours, he backed down. Slowly, his hands went to his belt. She didn't turn away, even after he paused and gave her a pointed look.

"Can you turn around?" he asked in exasperation.

"No. I don't trust you." She ran her eyes up and down his body. "You don't have anything that I haven't seen before." She snapped her fingers at him again and held out her hand. The heat may have been playing tricks on her, but she swore that he blushed.

He removed his belt slowly and then opened the door to the car and sat to remove his shoes. He didn't meet her eyes as he unbuttoned his dress shirt, untucking it and pulling it off.

Her admiration of his torso was blatant—it was nice and she should know. She'd had the pleasant experience of being exposed to quite a few in the past. It made her anticipate what the removal of the rest of his clothing would reveal.

At last, he stood, unbuttoning his pants and sliding them off. He moved to drape them over the seat.

"Ya!" she snapped. "I'll take those—for insurance." Closing her umbrella, she held out her hand and gave him a feral grin. She snapped her fingers again. "Don't forget. Passport too."

As he threw them over to her, he met her eyes for a brief moment and this time there was no mistaking the quick flash of embarrassment. She couldn't help a glance at his closely fitted boxer briefs, but decided to be merciful and held her tongue.

"Thank you." She stuffed his pants and passport into her backpack. Smirking, she shook her head in amusement and dug her hand deeper inside the bag, hunting in the bottom for her sister's abandoned cell phone. It was lucky she had the foresight to charge it in the bathroom before she was so rudely forced out. Eun Sang just prayed that the service hadn't been cut off yet. "What's the number?"

He rattled it off and she punched it in, holding her breath until she heard the line click and the phone on the other end start to ring. She looked over at him and gave him a thumbs up.

"Ask for Secretary Yoon," he said. "Let him know that we're at mile marker forty-seven, state route sixty-two, and that the car is broken down."

The phone connected. "Hello?" It was a male voice.

"Hello, Secretary Yoon? I have a friend of yours here and he wants you to know that the car is broken down and he needs help immediately—for two." She kept a wary eye on the man across from her as she spoke.

The line was silent for a moment and then the voice replied hesitantly. "Yes. I understand. Has he been harmed?"

Eun Sang broke into peals of laughter. "He's fine. I'm not a kidnapper—we've just reached an agreement and I want to make sure he holds up his end of the bargain." She put the phone on speaker. "Tell him you're fine," she ordered, holding it up so that he could speak into it.

He gave her a dark look and then projected his voice toward the phone. "I'm fine. Just send a tow truck as soon as you can and make sure they bring water with them." He quickly rattled off their location.

"Okay, that's enough. We don't want to drain the battery." She pulled the phone back towards her and turned off the speaker. "Don't forget," she said, placing it back up to her ear, "that is a rescue for two. I wouldn't want the press to get wind of Zeus not following through on their promises." She held her breath to see if her gamble would pay off.

She heard a small sigh on the other end of the line. "I understand, ma'am."

Eun Sang disconnected the phone with a triumphant grin.

Opening the umbrella again, she stepped away, putting some distance between them. She brushed off a spot on the ground and settled down, her new location affording her a clear view of the car. "Sit in the car. Leave the doors open," she ordered.

He complied and they sat in silence.

After awhile, Eun Sang pulled her water bottle out of her bag and took a small sip. Greedily, he watched her every move, his thirst evident. To his credit, he didn't ask her for any.

She rose and walked to the halfway point between them. She placed the bottle down and walked back to her vantage point. "Just take a sip," she called to him. "I don't have any more and we don't know how long it will take the tow truck to get here."

He jumped up and rushed to the bottle. Picking it up, he tipped it back slightly and swallowed hard. Eun Sang admired the line of his neck as he exposed it to drink. Lazily, her eyes drifted down to his bare chest.

"Are you enjoying yourself?" he asked, his voice tight.

She could tell that he wasn't used to being at a disadvantage and he wasn't handling it well. Shrugging her shoulders, she decided to be honest. "You're nice to look at and there's not much else to do right now anyway."

He slammed the bottle back down on the ground and retreated back to the car. She retrieved it and silence fell between them once again.

An hour passed and the heat became more oppressive. Eun Sang's clothing was more appropriate for the cooler climate of Seoul rather than the desert of California. Her body was drenched in sweat. She tried to fan herself with her hand, but it just seemed to push the heat around. Finally, she decided she couldn't take it.

She walked over to the car, where he lay reclined in the driver's seat, his arm draped over his eyes.

"_Is he asleep?"_ She kicked the side of the car, trying to wake him. "Hey."

He didn't respond.

"Ya! Wake up."

Still no response.

"_Shit,"_ Eun Sang thought.

She really hoped he wasn't dead.

She dropped the umbrella and ran around to the other side of the car, climbing in the passenger seat. She hunched over the center console, hovering directly over him.

It was evident that he was still breathing and she felt a sharp jab of relief.

"Hey." She poked at him with a finger.

He shifted slightly, but didn't respond.

"Hey—um—are you okay?" Hesitating a moment, she reached out her hand and placed it on his arm. His skin was warm and she could feel the slick sheen of his sweat beneath her fingertips.

He had her wrist in a tight grip before she even realized that he moved. She jerked against his grip, but he held fast.

Sitting up, he gave her an angry glare. "What do you want?"

"I just thought you were—can you let go of me?" She tried not to let her panic seep into her voice. She tried twisting her wrist again, but even though her skin was slippery with sweat, he was able to maintain his grip.

In that moment, the power shifted. Eun Sang mentally berated herself for letting her guard down. He could sense the shift too and a smug smile spread over his face.

"_Shit,"_ she thought. "_Shit, shit, shit."_

"Give me my pants back," he demanded.

All manner of horrible scenarios had been running through her head—she hadn't expected that. "What?" she responded dumbly.

"Give. Me. My. Pants." He punctuated each word deliberately, as if to underscore his seriousness.

Eun Sang lifted her chin. "You have to let go of me first."

"Like hell. Use your right hand to pick up the bag and hand it to me."

She froze. Without the things in her backpack, she would lose the upper hand. She mentally calculated her next move.

"Stop thinking about how to get out of it and hand me the bag. Now."

Reluctantly, she picked it up and dumped it in his lap, aiming for his groin and hoping that something heavy landed on a tender spot. She was delighted when it fell and he winced slightly.

Still maintaining his grip on her wrist, he used his free hand to pull open the zipper and dig inside. He pulled out the phone, the water, and his pants and passport and wedged them on his side of the car. Then he released her wrist and threw the bag back over to her.

She held her breath, waiting for his next move.

He kept his eyes on her as he pulled his pants back on, lifting his hips to slide them up and button them in one swift movement. Eun Sang would have admired his gracefulness if she hadn't been trying desperately to come up with a new plan.

Grabbing the water bottle, he downed half of it.

"Are you fucking crazy?" She grabbed for the bottle, but he held it out of her reach. "That's all the water we have. What happens if it takes them a few more hours to get here?"

"I'm thirsty."

"Great. It'll be worse when you're hallucinating from dehydration." She made a grab for the bottle again. "Don't be an idiot. I will climb over you and take it if I have to."

He gave her a skeptical look.

"All right. You asked for it," she muttered.

She threw herself over the center console, diving for the cell phone on the other side of him and hoping that her ruse had thrown him off. He quickly realized what she was doing as she ran her hands along the floorboard alongside the driver's seat, trying to locate the phone.

"What—" he started. "Oh no you don't."

He grabbed her around the waist and forced her into a seated position on his lap. She was now facing the windshield, his arms and legs wrapped around hers so tightly that she was pinned against his body.

He was stronger than he looked.

With all her strength, she pushed against him, but the lack of food and water, combined with the heat, had weakened her significantly. She went limp and felt him breathing hard, his chest rising and falling rapidly against her.

"_Wait him out. You can wait him out,"_ she thought to herself.

Eun Sang willed herself to be as pliable as possible, hoping that he would loosen his grip.

Instead, he wrapped his arms around her even tighter.

"Nice try. Get comfortable because we are not moving until someone comes." His breath tickled her ear as he spoke.

She didn't respond.

They sat that way for a half an hour and his grip never weakened.

The sun was starting to set and there was no sign of a tow truck, let alone another car.

She realized that she needed to shift the balance of power back in her favor and quickly. If she didn't, she might not have any room to negotiate once help finally arrived.

There was only one option that she could see.

She flexed her fingers experimentally and found she could move them just enough to brush the lower half of his arm.

It was all the opportunity she needed.

She started making slow circles on his skin with her fingers.

"Stop moving." He shifted his grasp to still her.

Ever so slightly, she twisted her body against his. Her movements became less subtle after a moment.

His body reacted quickly.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" He was angry now and she could feel that he'd loosened his grip.

Arching back, she leaned against his bare chest, resting her head on his shoulder. She turned her head and her tongue darted out to his neck, tasting the skin.

He jumped up in the seat in shock, taking her with him. Surprise loosened his hold on her enough that she could kick her legs free. Bracing her feet on the floor, she pushed hard, trying to free the top half of her body. She managed to spin herself around and planted one knee on the seat before he regained control. Grabbing her by her upper arms, he forced her into a straddling position facing him. She could feel his fingers leaving bruises with the force of his grip. They both panted in the stale, dry heat of the car interior, trying to catch their breath after the struggle.

He gave her a stony look. "You thought that would work?"

"It seemed to be," she responded, baring her teeth at him in a grin. Then she ground down on him.

His eyes widened in shock.

"Stop," he breathed.

She didn't.

"Stop," his voice was stronger this time. "Or you're not going to like what happens next.'

She continued.

He released her arms and grabbed her by the hair, pulling her mouth to his. His tongue twisted and teased her mouth as she writhed against him.

They failed to hear the tow truck pull up in front of the car.

"Uh, ex-excuse me. Did you call for a tow?"


	2. Chapter 2

Eun Sang sat in the cool waiting room gulping down her second bottle of water. Through the window, she watched the man having a conversation with the mechanic. They were speaking English, so she couldn't follow the conversation, but it didn't look like things were going well. He kept gesturing toward the car in frustration.

He finally nodded at the other man and walked back into the waiting room. "They can't fix the car tonight. They're waiting on parts. I called for a ride, but it'll be a few hours. I'm going to the motel across the street to get a few hours sleep."

"Wait! You can't just leave me here," she protested. "We had a deal."

He ignored her and exited the garage.

Her jaw dropped when she realized that he really did plan on abandoning her.

Fury welled in her stomach. _"Oh, hell no,"_ she thought. She ran out close on his heels. "Listen, asshole. You made a deal. No one would have stopped for you. You could have been there overnight—without water—if not for me. You owe me," she screamed at him.

He gave no indication that he heard her.

"Listen to me!"

He reached the door to the motel room and unlocked it, stepping inside. Then he turned around and very deliberately slammed the door in her face.

She tripped over her own feet, falling back on to the ground.

The stress of the past few days finally caught up to her and she snapped. Picking herself up, Eun Sang launched herself at the door. She beat on it with her hands and feet until they stung.

She wanted to break it down and strangle him.

The door swung back open and he stood, blocking the doorway. Pushing past him, she sat down on the end of the bed and crossed her arms over her chest. She wasn't moving until he followed through on the agreement.

He whirled around to look at her. "What do you think you're doing?"

She gave him an icy look. "You said if I helped you, you would help me." She fell back on the bed and gripped the sides of the mattress tightly. "I'm not going anywhere until you get me a ticket and a ride to the airport." She stared up at the ceiling, holding her breath.

She had one card left up her sleeve, but she didn't want to use it unless absolutely necessary.

His voice drifted up to her head from somewhere at the end of the bed. "If you don't leave, I will call the police and report you for trespassing."

She sat up abruptly. "You wouldn't."

"Try me." His expression told her that he was serious.

It was time to play her card. She leapt up, grabbing her bag, and ran to the bathroom, throwing the lock behind her. "All right, you arrogant ass. Call them. I'm ripping up your passport and flushing it down the toilet." It wouldn't be the end of the world for him, but it would be damned inconvenient. Eun Sang hoped the threat would be enough.

It was quiet for a moment.

"I'm ripping it up!" she called out. She flushed the toilet for effect. "There goes the first page."

"Listen, you harpy. I'm tired and hungry and I've had a terrible day. I do not have time to deal with your insanity. Go ahead and rip it up—they'll add destruction of property to your charges." Several loud thumps sounded on the door. "You've got five minutes. If you're not out by then, I'm calling the police."

There it was. Her last chance—gone.

Leaning against the door, she slid down into a seated position and buried her head in her hands. A sob escaped her lips and she slapped her hands over her mouth.

She wouldn't let that asshole hear her cry.

Five minutes ticked by and she had no plan. The final seconds passed as she looked down at her watch. She stood and faced the closed door, gripping his passport in her hand. Slowly, she turned the knob.

He was lying on the bed, scrolling through his phone and pointedly ignoring her. As she stepped out, she hurled the passport at him, hitting him in the shoulder. She refused to look at him as she walked past him to the door.

She heard something jingle and then hit the floor by her feet. Turning, she looked at the ground.

It was a set of keys.

"You're in room 28. The car is coming for me at 5:00 am. Be ready to go or I will leave you." He didn't look up from the phone as he spoke.

Eun Sang bent down and picked up the keychain. For a moment, she couldn't move, afraid that she'd heard him wrong. She wasn't sure what had changed his mind, but she wasn't about to pursue the topic with him. Quietly, she opened the door and stepped out.

Once locating her room, she was awake long enough to set an alarm and then collapsed into a deep sleep.

* * *

><p>She rose, showered, and dressed so that she would be sitting in the parking lot a half an hour earlier than she needed to be. Eun Sang was praying that he hadn't abandoned her during the night. She'd considered going to his room and knocking on his door, but surprisingly, she found she couldn't work up the nerve.<p>

So she waited.

Ten minutes before five, the door to his room opened and he walked out, looking well rested and immaculately dressed in a clean suit. Her own dusty t-shirt and shorts were looking worse for wear. She'd tried to knock out some of the dirt, but there wasn't much of an improvement. At least she'd been able to shower and brush her teeth.

He noticed her sitting on the curb and walked over to stand beside her.

"Did you sleep well?" he asked gruffly.

She appreciated that he was making an effort, but it was very early, and she wasn't ready to forgive him yet. "Sure." One-word answers were all he was going to get.

Silence fell. Eun Sang rested her chin on her hands and looked out into the darkness.

He cleared his throat. "How did you end up here?"

"I ran away from the circus." She wasn't interested in sharing her life story.

They fell silent again.

A few minutes later, a sleek town car pulled into the parking lot and a driver jumped out, moving to the back to open the door. The man climbed in quickly. After a moment's hesitation, she followed him. The door shut and they were plunged into darkness.

Eun Sang felt out of her element and deeply uncomfortable with the small considerations he'd shown her since last night. She turned her head slightly toward him, trying to make him out. She could just barely see his profile.

He shifted slightly and she looked away, not wanting to be caught staring. "Thanks." The word was out her mouth before she could stop it.

"You're welcome." She could hear the note of surprise in his voice. "Thank you for calling for help—and stopping."

"Yeah, well—I need to get out of here."

"You were robbed?"

She was surprised that he remembered. "Yeah—" She hesitated. "A few days ago."

"Where's your family?

"In Korea. I was here visiting—someone."

"And you didn't have a return ticket?"

Damn. He was remembering a lot of details. "Well, I was thinking about staying here, but I don't think that's going to happen now."

"Why?"

_God, he asks a lot of questions._ "It just isn't."

They stopped talking.

Eun Sang fell asleep.

When she woke, she was surprised to find herself curled up next to him, her head resting on his shoulder. She sat up and pushed herself away abruptly, almost sliding off the seat in the process. Rubbing at her cheek, she tried to push through the sleepy haze.

"Sorry," she said.

"It's no problem."

The sun had risen. She must have been asleep for quite some time.

"Where are we?" Talking helped cover her embarrassment.

"We're just outside the city."

"Oh."

"I got you a flight out tonight."

She started in surprise. "You did?"

"Like you said, we had an agreement."

"That didn't seem to matter yesterday." Damn her mouth—always getting her into trouble. Eun Sang waited to see how he would react, hoping he wouldn't be insulted.

He turned to look out the window before responding. "I wasn't quite myself yesterday."

_Wait. Wait!_ "How did you buy me a ticket? You don't even know my name."

"I took the liberty of locating your passport in your bag. I didn't want to wake you, Miss Cha Eun Sang."

"Who gave you permission to go through my stuff?" She flushed knowing that he had to have made it past the bras to find where she had stashed the passport at the very bottom.

"Do you want to go home?"

"Yes," she grumbled.

"Then, quiet," he scolded her gently.

"Did you just tell me to be quiet?"

"Yes. Why are you so argumentative?"

That stopped her short. "I'm not." _Shit. _"You could have just woken me up."

"You looked like you needed the sleep."

She didn't know how to respond to that, so she closed her mouth.

"You're welcome," he said, smiling at her. She felt her stomach drop. Men like him annoyed her—they were good looking and they knew it.

The car pulled to a stop.

"I reserved you a room to stay in until it's time for you to leave to catch your flight. There will be a car waiting downstairs for you. Your tickets are waiting in your room."

Exiting the car, they walked side-by-side, Eun Sang acutely aware of how dirty she was in such a nice hotel. She tried to listen for his name as the clerk checked him in, but her poor grasp of English prevented her from understanding much. He walked back to where she stood waiting and handed her a key, directing her to the elevator. The doors slid open and they entered together. "You're on the fifth floor," he said, pushing the button for her as well as the one at the very top that read "P."

She felt like she should say something, but she didn't know what.

"I wish I could say that it's been a pleasure, Miss Cha Eun Sang, but I'm not sure that's an accurate way to describe it." The elevator dinged and slid open to reveal the fifth floor. "Good bye," he said.

She stepped out and turned around to look at him. The doors started to close, but she threw out her arm to prevent it. "Why did you help me?" she asked. "You could have left me."

He gave her a look she didn't quite understand. "I heard you crying," he responded.

She moved her arm and the doors closed.

She felt a strange ache in her chest as she stood there.

Numbly, she turned and walked to her room. It took her several tries to work the electronic keycard and unlock the door.

Her breath caught in her throat. The room was bigger—more beautiful—than any place she'd seen before. A large window afforded a panoramic view of the city. She walked up to it and rested her face on the glass.

Turning, she walked to the bedroom and discovered a dress, matching shoes, and delicate undergarments in the lightest shade of blue. She didn't bother wondering how he knew what size she was. Sitting next to the clothes were her plane tickets—first class—all the way to Seoul.

Mechanically, she stripped off her soiled clothing and stepped in to the bathroom, taking a long, hot shower. Then she dried her hair and dressed herself in the new clothing. Picking up her discarded shorts from the floor, she dug into her pockets for the hundred dollar bills she'd taken from his wallet.

Before she thought better of it, she found herself back out in the hallway and entering the elevator. The doors slid closed as her hand hovered over the "P" button.

She pressed it.

Eventually, the doors opened on to a short hallway with a single door. Eun Sang walked up to it and pressed the buzzer.

After a moment, he opened the door—barefoot in jeans and a t-shirt. It was apparent that he was surprised to see her.

"Hello?" he said uncertainly.

She held out the handful of bills to him. "Here. I only took these to pay for my ticket."

"I don't want—"

"Please," she interrupted. "Take them back. You've already done enough for me."

Reluctantly, he took them from her and held them awkwardly before stuffing them into his pocket.

Eun Sang moved closer and lifted herself up on to her toes. She took his face in her hands and kissed him.

She wasn't good at niceties. It was hard for her to express appropriate gratitude when she had so little experience with kindness.

But once she started kissing him, she found that she really didn't want to stop.

And neither, it appeared, did he. His arms went around her waist and he lifted her up and carried her inside. He kept kissing her as he used his foot to close the door behind them.

Her legs wrapped around his hips and her arms moved to his neck. Slowly, their lips connected, mouths open, tongues teasing. He backed up to the couch, lowering them down together.

They stayed locked in that position for several minutes.

Finally, Eun Sang broke away, panting to catch her breath. Her forehead rested against his, eyes closed.

She wanted thank him in the only way she knew how.

She wanted him.

Her hand moved to the hem of his shirt, tugging it up. He helped her remove it. Once again, she found herself faced with the sight of his bare chest. She wasn't shy about looking this time. Moving her arms down from his shoulders, she ran her hands over his stomach and down to the button of his jeans. Her fingers began unbuttoning them and she looked up into his eyes.

She was surprised to see a look of panic. "What are you doing?" he breathed.

"I would have thought that was obvious." She pushed his hands aside and moved down to his zipper.

He stopped her again. "You don't have to do this."

"Do you think that I ever do anything that I don't want to do?" She gave him a pointed look. "I'm leaving tomorrow. It's now or never."

He released a shaky breath and moved his hands away.

She smiled and looked directly into his eyes as she finished unzipping him.

At the first touch of her hand on him, he groaned, his eyes rolling back in his head. She continued for several minutes, enjoying the reactions she provoked in him. Then she released him suddenly and his eyes snapped open. She held his gaze as she pushed off the straps of her dress, letting them fall down her shoulders. Standing, the dress slipped off and she stood before him in just her underwear and heels.

He looked at her as if wanted to worship her. It made her feel powerful—more like her old self.

She took his hand and pulled him up, leading him to the bedroom.

* * *

><p>Eun Sang was just drifting off when she felt the bed shift slightly. She shook herself awake and was rewarded with a rather delicious view of him as he walked to the bathroom. Smiling and stretching, she burrowed deeper into the sheets. After a minute, her eyes drifted shut again.<p>

The bed sank as he climbed back in. Eun Sang didn't open her eyes, but she felt him place a warm hand on her shoulder.

"What's your name?" she asked him.

"Ah Ji Tae."

She smiled again. "Nice to meet you, Ah Ji Tae." She moved closer to him, tucking herself underneath his chin.

"If I had known it was going to be like that, I would have done it sooner."

Her eyes flew open and she sat up. "What?"

He flushed slightly. "Well, I never—" he said, trailing off.

Eun Sang felt herself pale. "You mean, I'm your—"

"Yes."

She didn't know how to react. "Oh."

An awkward silence stretched between them.

"It was amazing," he said.

Somehow, it was exactly the right thing to say. She rolled on top of him, fitting his body to hers. He responded almost instantly.

"There are other ways—other positions. I could show you." Her voice was hesitant—for the first time, she felt unsure of herself.

"Will you show me?" he asked.

She smiled against his lips as she kissed him.

* * *

><p>It was dark in the room when she woke up. She was disoriented—not remembering where she was.<p>

It came back to her in a rush. She rolled over and found the bed empty. Groping for the lamp, she found the switch, flooding the room with light.

There was an envelope on the bedside table. "Cha Eun Sang" was written in neat characters.

She picked it up and opened it.

Hundred dollar bills floated out on to her lap.

She sat paralyzed for a moment, the money scattered around her in the bed. Scrambling out, she grabbed her dress off the floor, pulling it over her head and wrapping her arms around herself, suddenly cold.

She didn't look at the bed.

Opening the door, she walked out into the living area, looking for any sign of him. There was nothing left—anywhere. He was gone.

He had left her money.

Like a whore.

How dare he?

How dare he turn it into that?

Her anger spurred her to action. She ran back into the bedroom and gathered the money, stuffing it back into the envelope.

Collecting her shoes, she left the suite, the envelope clenched tightly in her right fist.


	3. Chapter 3

_5 Years Later_

"Ya! You are not carrying that into my restaurant like that!" Eun Sang watched as the movers froze in their tracks, struggling under the weight of the table. She strode over to them. "Look at this! Do you see this? This is a scratch. I know that we did not just spend large amounts of money in your employer's store to accept delivery of damaged goods. Load it back on the truck."

The workers scurried out the door, grumbling slightly as they maneuvered the oversized table. Yoon Chan Young stepped to the side to allow them to leave. She already had her phone to her ear by the time he reached her side. She gave him a withering look as he smiled at her.

"Eun Sa—"

She cut him off by raising her hand in a gesture for silence.

"Mr. Sa Hee Won? Yes. This is Cha Eun Sang from Room 28. Your workers just tried to deliver a damaged piece of furniture. I'm sure that it must have been an oversight on your part. I expect to have a new table delivered in time for the opening." She listened silently for a moment. "I understand that it was a custom order, but that's not my problem. I want a new one here within the hour or we can find someone else to handle our second location." She was quiet again. "Thank you." Smiling broadly, she disconnected the phone.

"Our second location?" Chan Young asked.

She shrugged her shoulders. "It could happen."

"That's my Cha Eun Sang. Kicking ass and taking names."

"That guy has been trying to pull one over on us from the beginning. I wouldn't have used him, but he gave us a great discount." She sighed, rubbing her forehead.

"Have you eaten?" Chan Young asked, concerned.

"No. Not yet. I still have too much to do. I'll have the kitchen make me something later."

He took her by the shoulders. "Look at me. Everything will be perfect. I know it. You've worked so hard."

Forcing a smile, she shrugged again. "I know. I just don't want to let you down."

"You're not going to let me down."

"You know people are saying you're crazy—investing in a business with someone like me."

He dismissed her words with a wave of his hand. "You graduated from a business school and you have more real-world experience than the majority of the managers out there. "

"Plus, if I fail, Bo Na will kill me for losing your money."

"There's that too." He squeezed her shoulders.

She looked at her watch. "Shit. It's late and I still need to check the linens and go over the ordering with the chef."

Chan Young released her shoulders after another quick squeeze. "Go forth and make me some money." She was already halfway down the hall by the time he finished speaking. "And watch your language," he yelled after her.

* * *

><p>"<em>Are you coming tonight?"<em>

Choi Young Do frowned down at his phone. "_I need more information than that to make a determination,"_ he texted back.

"_The dinner party? Bo Na's fiancé's restaurant?"_

He rolled his eyes at the phone, even though Jo Myung Soo couldn't see him. _"Do I have to?"_

"_If I have to go, you have to suffer with me."_

"_Well, when you put it like that—no."_

"_But there will be women there—single, attractive, drunk women."_

"_Why would there be drunk women?"_

"_Because if the food is back, they'll give us more alcohol so that no one remembers."_ A smiley face ended Myung Soo's reply.

"_Did you come up with that all by yourself?"_

"_No. Bo Na told me. She's planning for the worst."_

Young Do checked his calendar—he had nothing scheduled for the evening. _"I'm sorry,"_ he replied. _"It looks as if I already have a previous commitment."_

"_I called your secretary. She said you were free tonight."_

Young Do made a mental note to tell his secretary not to share his schedule with Myung Soo. _"Fine, I'll go. But you owe me."_

"_I'll rent you a girlfriend."_

"_Ha ha ha. Hilarious."_

"_See you at seven."_

Young Do placed his phone back on his desk and began reading through the report he'd been working on. He wished that Myung Soo would stop trying to set him up. It had become kind of a running joke—Young Do, the spinster—not interested in women, one night stands, or settling down. For a while, Myung Soo had been convinced that he was gay. He tricked Young Do into a blind date with a rather eligible, but closeted, bachelor. That whole night had gone down as one of the most mortifying experiences of Young Do's life.

He wasn't gay—he just didn't find most women interesting. In fact, in the past five years, he could only think of one woman who had made any sort of lasting impression on him—the woman who had taken his virginity.

But that was a distant memory and it would have to stay that way.

He'd looked her up when he returned to Seoul and found her living in a basement apartment with a disabled mother, on the verge of being evicted. He wasn't sure what had happened to the money he'd given her, but he'd quietly paid the back rent they owed and then resolved to try and put her out of his mind. Young Do had occasionally checked back in on her, and helped where he could, but he was never foolhardy enough to try and reassert himself back into her life. In the past year, he'd lost track of her, trying to let go of his foolish nostalgia.

Ultimately, he knew that she was a completely unsuitable match for the heir to one of Korea's largest companies.

_Maybe I should look her up again?_

Pushing the thought from his mind, he refocused his attention back on the computer screen.

* * *

><p>Eun Sang tugged at her suit distractedly. Mentally, she ran through her list: tablecloths and napkins straightened, glasses and silverware checked, uniforms inspected, and wine chosen and properly decanted for each course.<p>

Everything was ready. Now she would just need to pull it off.

She stood at the front door, ready to greet Chan Young's guests as they arrived. Fortunately, he arrived first, Bo Na by his side. She looked around critically as she hung from Chan Young's arm. "It's not bad."

From Bo Na, it was high praise indeed.

Eun Sang resisted the urge to respond with a sarcastic comment. Instead, she bowed. "Please follow me."

Chan Young grabbed her arm gently. "You don't need to do that with us."

"You are a customer and the owner. If anything, I should be doing more." She grinned at him. "Please, if you'll follow me."

Bo Na sniffed. "Yes, Chan Young, let her practice."

She bit her cheek to stop a retort from escaping. Taking a deep breath, she lead them into the dining room, set up with a long table for the dinner party. The lights were low and a line of candles running down the middle cast a flickering glow around the room. Eun Sang was particularly pleased with the way the deep red tablecloths contrasted with the vases of white roses placed around the room.

She heard a whistle from behind her and turned. Bo Na looked around, clearly impressed. "I didn't think you had such good taste, Eun Sang."

Gritting her teeth, she showed Chan Young to his place at the head of the table and sat Bo Na beside him, taking her coat and folding it carefully over her arm. "Are we still expecting ten to join you?"

"Eleven. Jo Myung Soo is bringing someone."

Eun Sang mentally calculated the difficulty of adding another place setting. She would have to change some of the wine selections too. "Excellent," she replied. "I'll go take care of the arrangements. If you'll excuse me, your waiter will be right in." She backed out of the room gracefully, then turned and broke into a trot. "You!" she yelled as she ran past a gaggle of wait staff prepping water glasses. She pointed at the most experienced of the group, a waiter named Ji Chang . "Go up to the front and take care of seating the guests. They added a person and I have to go to the wine cellar. You." She pointed to another waitress. "Prep and place the additional setting. Now."

She didn't wait to make sure her orders were followed—the staff knew enough about her temper to know she expected to be obeyed. Kicking off her extremely high heels, she sped down the basement stairs into the cellar.

"_Shit, shit, shit. What do I have enough of for eleven? Reds. I need a red."_ She scanned the bottles, finally locating one that would work. Grabbing a bottle, she charged back up to the kitchen to consult the chef on the change.

Minor issues continued throughout the start of the dinner, and Eun Sang worried that things were falling apart, despite the staff's assurances that everything was running smoothly in the dining room. She was checking the salad course when Ji Chang passed her a written message from Chan Young: _"Come eat. You should be enjoying yourself too."_

She groaned. Chan Young was constantly blurring the lines of their relationship, much to Bo Na's chagrin. He was her friend, but in this moment, her responsibility was to Chan Young the investor.

It was time for her to check in. She pulled at her jacket, straightening it slightly, and walked out, heading toward the dining room.

As she walked in, she met Chan Young's eyes, searching his face for any clue about how things were going. He gave her a broad smile and a thumbs up. Releasing a breath she didn't realize she was holding, she continued toward him.

"Ladies and gentleman," he said, rising from his seat. "I'd like to introduce you to my dear friend and general manager of Room 28—"

"Cha Eun Sang?"

She whirled around at the sound of the male voice behind her. Ah Ji Tae stood in the doorway, a shocked expression on his face. She felt herself go white.

She'd imagined this confrontation over and over again throughout the years—the things she'd say and do.

"Do you know Cha Eun Sang, Young Do?" she heard Chan Young ask.

"_Young Do?"_ she thought. Her blood pressure skyrocketed.

Not only had he treated her like a whore, but he'd lied about his name too. She had to stop this. Now. Before it ruined the dinner.

"No," she said quickly. "I think we might have some mutual acquaintances." She turned back to Chan Young, pasting a smile on her face. "How is everything so far?"

"Excellent. The wine pairings in particular are very well done." Chan Young gave her a cheeky smile—he was setting her up so that she would be forced to admit that she was the one who had made the selections.

"I'm glad." She didn't take the bait. All she could think about was getting out of the room. "Well, I'll leave you to your meal. Please don't hesitate to call me if you need anything." She started to back away.

"Why don't you join us?" Chan Young wouldn't give up. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Bo Na roll her eyes and look away.

"No, but thank you." She was already backing out of the room, carefully trying to avoid looking at the man in the doorway. "I need to check on a few things."

She kept backing up until she was sure that the majority of the table was engaged in conversation and then spun on her heel, trying to put as much distance as possible between her and that man.

She wasn't fast enough.

"Cha Eun Sang?"

She stopped in her tracks.

"It's been a long time."

She turned around slowly and looked at him, willing herself to remain calm. "I don't know what you think is going to happen here, but let me assure you, nothing will. You need to turn around and go back into that room." She struggled to keep her voice even.

He looked taken aback. "I'm sorry. Are you angry with me?"

Eun Sang dug her fingernails into the palm of her hands. "I'm telling you to go back into that room. Now."

He continued as if she hadn't spoken. "I'm glad to have crossed paths with you again. I can see that you're busy, but perhaps we can—"

Abruptly, she closed the space between them, putting her face inches from his. "Listen, asshole. I'm not going anywhere with you. Now that I know who you really are, I will return your money—with interest. I never want to see your face again." She turned her back on him, her whole body shaking with anger.

A hand on her arm stopped her. "I don't understand," he said. "What money?"

"The fact that you don't remember the money makes it that much worse. Go back in the dining room. Do not speak to me." She ripped her arm out of his grasp and left him standing in the middle of the hallway.

* * *

><p>Eun Sang avoided the dining room for the rest of the dinner service. She hid out in the kitchen for solid hour after the staff assured her that all the guests had left. He was the last person she wanted to see, and the fact that he ruined Room 28's opening dinner made it that much worse.<p>

Chan Young had called and texted her several times, but she didn't have the energy to answer him. She wasn't in the mood to celebrate.

Switching off the lights in the entranceway, she exited the building, locking the door behind her.

Ah Ji Tae—or whatever his name was—was waiting for her outside, sitting parked in a very expensive sports car idling at the curb. She walked right past him, moving swiftly down the sidewalk.

"Eun Sang! Wait!"

She heard the car door slam and footsteps trail after her. Looking around, she found the street deserted. "_Good,"_ she thought. She didn't want an audience. She made a rude gesture over her shoulder and kept walking.

"Wait," he called again. "I think there's been some sort of misunderstanding."

She stopped and spun around. She'd be damned if he turned this into some sort of hysterical female overreaction. "What exactly do you think I'm misunderstanding? How you lied to me about your name? Or maybe how you left me money like a whore?" Her voice rose on the last word and echoed in the empty street.

"A whore?" He seemed confused.

She started back toward him aggressively. "Generally, when you sleep with a woman and then leave her a wad of cash without explanation, it's considered to be, what one could term, 'a transaction.'"

"I certainly didn't— It was a gift," he protested. He appeared to be offended.

"No." She shook her head firmly. "You don't get to be insulted. You treated me like a whore. Don't be upset if I call the baby ugly." Eun Sang brushed past him and started walking to the main road, hoping to catch a taxi. She could feel her rage sapping her strength, wanting nothing more to get home and climb into bed.

"Let me explain," he panted as he caught up to her.

"There's nothing to explain, except that I will be returning your money—with the accrued interest."

"I don't want it back."

"It doesn't matter what you want," she shrieked in frustration. "My feelings are the only ones that matter because you treated me like I was nothing. I'm going to return the money and then I will never have to think about you again."

"So, you're not interested in having dinner with me?" She still heard what sounded like confusion in his voice.

"Are you fucking insane? I just told you that you made me feel like a whore and you think I'd go on a date with you?"

"I like you." He shrugged his shoulders, as if his explanation was self-explanatory.

"You don't know me!" she exploded. "We slept together once—five years ago. You lied about your name and left me a significant amount of cash in an envelope on the nightstand. What about any of that makes you believe that I would go anywhere with you?"

"We actually slept together several times that night and the money was a gift." He was matter of fact in his explanation.

It infuriated her. "A gift?" she asked, laughing. "Do you generally pay women you're interested in?" She wanted him to acknowledge how ridiculous it sounded.

"Well, no—" he began. She threw up her hands to emphasize his response. "But that's mostly because I haven't been with another woman since you. I can see now, though, how my actions could have been construed as insulting. I apologize." He looked almost chastened.

"You're crazy," she whispered. "You actually expect me to believe that?"

He blinked at her. "What would I have to gain by lying to you about it, except to convince you that I'm sincere in my interest—I've already admitted that I am, so—" He shrugged his shoulders again. "It's true. You can confirm it with my friend, Jo Myung Soo."

"Well, that's great. I wish you the best of luck getting laid in the future, but I'm not going to be able to help you with that." She shook her head in amazement and turned, starting again toward the main road.

"I think I'm in love with you," he said to her back.

She stopped and squatted down on the sidewalk, trying to fight the sudden nausea she felt. Eun Sang took deep, gulping breaths, trying to get herself under control. After a moment, she stood up, her back still to him. "You do not have the right to speak to me like that. We are not in a relationship. We will never be in a relationship."

"But I want to be, Eun Sang—very much so." There was an earnestness in his voice that made her ache, just for a moment.

"You'll excuse me if I throw the bullshit flag on that." She kept her back to him.

He chuckled. "You still swear like a sailor, I see." His voice grew serious. "Let me try and convince you."

"I can't imagine anything that you could do or say that would convince me, Mr.— What's your name again?" She asked the question pointedly.

"My name is Choi Young Do."

"Are you sure?"

"You can ask Yoon Chan Young. We've been acquainted for a while."

"I'm not asking anyone anything. We are done here." She left him standing on the sidewalk and didn't look back.


End file.
